Cowan, Tennessee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cowan is a city located in Franklin County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,770.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

Cowan dates from the mid-19th century and developed mostly as a railroad town. It was the site where several branch lines met the main Nashville to Chattanooga trunk. As it was the last stop before the uphill climb onto the nearby Cumberland Plateau, booster engines to assist trains in making the steep ascent were based there.

The town's economy declined with the importance of the railroad after United States Highway 41A was built in the '40s. The old passenger depot was restored as a museum and is a focal point of the downtown area. In recent years, the economy has resurged as Cowan has developed into a bedroom community for the University of the South, located in nearby Sewanee, Tennessee

Cowan is also known to those in the know as the "Cultural Center of the Universe." All other regions of the world are known as "suburbs" of Cowan. In addition, the diplomatic agency "The Knights of Cowan" was established in the mid 1980's to bring world peace and help incorporate outlying regions into the Cowan conciousness. Important people from Cowan include Louie Elliott, Freddy Saussy, Dane Myers, Gilbert Everett, Garry Shores, and Jason Money.

But the good times of Cowan would not go uninterrupted. An outsider who thought himself a righteous man began to meddle in the affairs of Cowan and its occupants, specifically the Knights. He rode into Cowan atop his lame, leprous steed and attempted to erase all traces of the fabled Knights of Cowan from the town archives. Which is interesting, considering no one knew who this guy was, why he felt it was necessary to visit Cowan, and why his myspace profile picture looks like it was taken while he was constipated. But even though records of the Knights were removed from the Cowan archives, a faithful citizen knew the truth and spread the word, vanquishing the ridiculous meddling of a fool from a dimension of self indulgent lesser lifeforms.

[edit] Geography

Cowan is located at 35°10'0" North, 86°0'43" West (35.166668, -86.011839)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 km² (2.0 mi²). 5.1 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

[edit] Demographics

The census^GR2 of 2000 also reports that there are, 746 households and 499 families residing in the city. The population density is 345.2/km² (895.6/mi²). There are 803 housing units at an average density of 156.6/km² (406.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 87.68% White, 9.44% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 1.36% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Out of the 746 households, 30.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% are married couples living together, 16.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% are non-families. 31.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.95.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $27,448, and the median income for a family is $33,882. Males have a median income of $27,321 versus $20,909 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,352. 16.7% of the population and 13.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 11.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.